The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of grapevine, Vitis vinifera L., which will hereinafter be denominated varietally as the ‘Scarlet Royal’ grapevine, and, more particularly, to a grapevine which has fruit maturing for commercial harvesting and shipment approximately August 15 in the San Joaquin Valley of central California. The fruit has an attractive dark red skin coloration at maturity with oval shape seedless berries.
The grapevine of the present invention originated from a hand-pollinated cross of United States Department of Agriculture selection ‘C33-30’ (unpatented) and the United States Department of Agriculture selection ‘C51-63’ (unpatented) made in 1992 at the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Postharvest Quality and Genetics Research Unit plots at California State University, Fresno, in Fresno, Calif. The female was ‘C33-30’, a seedless, red-fruited grapevine with reflex anthers in the flower, large oval berries with firm flesh and medium skin, and a neutral flavor. The fruit of the ‘C33-30’ ripen about two weeks after the instant variety. The pollen parent was ‘C51-63’ a seedless red-purple fruited grape with medium size, oval to elliptical berries with good skin and firm flesh. The fruit of the ‘C51-63’ grapevine ripen four weeks after the variety of the subject invention. Both of the parents of the instant cultivar are hybrids of the grapevine genus and species Vitis vinifera L.
The aborted seeds resulting from this controlled hybridization were developed further through in vitro tissue culture and germinated in the laboratory during the fall of 1992. The resulting seedling population totaled 21 individual plants. All seedlings were planted in the spring of 1993 in a vineyard at the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service plots on the California State University, Fresno, campus in Fresno, Calif. The seedlings fruited in the summer of 1995 and one, the grapevine of the present invention, was designated as ‘B34-82’ and selected for its attractive dark red seedless, firm, large berry size, and outstanding fruit quality.
In 1996 at the inventors' direction, the grapevine of the subject invention was propagated asexually by rooting hardwood cuttings at Fresno, Calif. and a test planting of two grapevines of the subject invention was established in the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service plots on the California State University, Fresno campus. Subsequently in 1997 a larger test planting of 24 vines was established with rooted hardwood cuttings of the instant invention. The instant cultivar rooted readily from hardwood cuttings. All grapevines of the new variety planted from hardwood cutting propagation, fruited in the third season of growth after planting. All propagules, or resulting plants, of the present invention have been observed by the inventors to be true to type in that all asexual reproduced grapevines of the variety possessed the characteristics identical to those of the original parent grapevine.